The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pacific Southwest (Region 9), Office of Regional Counsel, is pleased to announce its 2014 Honors Attorney Fellowship. This fellowship is for up to a two-year term, and the fellow is expected to commit to the full term. The deadline to apply for the 2014 Fellowship is June 2, 2014. We anticipate the Fellowship will begin in July/August 2014, and we may hire up to two fellows. 

The EPA Honors Attorney Fellowship is designed for a recent law school graduate who is a licensed attorney with excellent academic credentials and a strong interest in a career in environmental law or the public sector (see more detailed criteria below). It provides an opportunity for entry-level attorneys to practice law in a leading governmental environmental organization, and to receive extensive training in and exposure to environmental law and policy work in the public sector. The Region offers new attorneys significant responsibility, the opportunity to handle a complex caseload that includes enforcement and counseling work, and extensive training and mentoring from dedicated colleagues with recognized expertise. The Region offers a diverse and supportive work environment. 

The Office of Regional Counsel, Pacific Southwest Region
 
The Office of Regional Counsel (ORC) employs approximately 65 attorneys whose work spans environmental law issues in the geographic region of California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, Pacific Islands, and over 140 Tribal Nations. ORC attorneys provide legal support for both enforcement and counseling matters under the federal statutes administered by EPA to the Region, one of ten EPA regional offices. We also work collaboratively with state, tribal, and local governments to implement these national environmental laws. 

Regarding enforcement, attorneys are responsible for preparing administrative, judicial and criminal cases against violators of environmental laws. These cases involve developing and using technical and legal strategies for negotiation and litigation purposes. The primary statutes enforced by the EPA are the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. For cases brought in federal court, attorneys work with the Department of Justice, but solely represent the Agency in administrative proceedings. 

In addition to preparing enforcement actions, ORC attorneys are also responsible for counseling the Regional Administrator and Program Division Directors on the interpretation of environmental laws, regulations and policies in such matters as permitting or other agency decisions. The Region also has innovative initiatives addressing environmental justice, brownfields redevelopment, and urban and rural environmental issues. 

Eligibility 

Recent law school graduates (e.g., 2011, 2012, and 2013) who are licensed attorneys with active bar memberships (any State, U.S. territory, Puerto Rico or the District of Columbia) are eligible to apply. 2014 law school graduates or applicants who are NOT bar members are not eligible for this program. In addition, the candidate's suitability for employment must be confirmed by a background investigation. 

Veterans and individuals with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply. If you qualify for veterans preference and want the Agency to consider that preference as a positive factor in reviewing your application, you must include in your application appropriate documentation such as DD214(copy 4), your VA letter, or Standard Form-15 (disabled veteran). 

Salary
 
The salary will be at the GS-11 level (currently starting at $68,643). Full benefits are also provided. Relocation expenses are not authorized. This position is in the Excepted Service (and not in Competitive Service) and does not confer competitive status. 

Application Process

Please submit the following no later than June 2, 2014:

• Cover letter explaining the applicant's interest in the Fellowship. 
  

• Resume, including significant accomplishments, work experience, law school class rank, contact telephone numbers, and e-mail address. 
  

• Transcript of law school grades and documentation of graduation from an ABA accredited law school. 
  

• Name, address and telephone numbers of 3 references, including a current or former employer and a law school professor or advisor. 
  

• Proof of active bar membership and license to practice law in any State, U.S. Territory, Puerto Rico or the District of Columbia. 
  

• Veterans Preference supporting documents, if applicable. 
  

All applications should be submitted by email to: . Applications should include "2014 Fellowship Application" in the subject line of the message. Documents may be attached in Word or PDF formats. 

Selected applicants will be invited for telephonic interview(s). A writing sample will be required of each selected candidate prior to the interview. 

For any questions, please send an email to with "Inquiry" in the subject line of the email. 

For other information about the EPA Pacific Southwest regional office, please visit our website at www.epa.gov/region9 (for further information about ORC, click on "Region 9 Programs and Resources" then "Legal"). 

Please note that other EPA legal offices may have their own honors attorney fellowship programs which are administered separately. Our website provides links to those programs. 

EPA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. 

__________________________________________

EPA is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences. 

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE:

Law School Admission Council Agrees to Systemic Reforms and $7.73 Million Payment to Settle Justice Department’s Nationwide Disability Discrimination Lawsuit

The Justice Department filed a joint motion today for entry of a landmark consent decree to resolve allegations that the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) engaged in widespread and systemic discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Under the proposed consent decree, LSAC will pay $7.73 million in penalties and damages to compensate over 6,000 individuals nationwide who applied for testing accommodations on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) over the past five years.  The decree also requires comprehensive reforms to LSAC’s policies and ends its practice of “flagging,” or annotating, LSAT score reports for test takers with disabilities who receive extended time as an accommodation.  These reforms will impact tens of thousands of test takers with disabilities for years to come. 
 
The United States intervened in DFEH v. LSAC Inc., which was originally brought on behalf of California test takers in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.  The United States’ intervention expanded the case to ensure comprehensive and nationwide relief under Title III of the ADA for individuals with disabilities who request testing accommodations for the LSAT – a required examination for anyone seeking admission to an American Bar Association approved law school in the United States.  The allegations in the complaint detail LSAC’s routine denial of testing accommodation requests, even in cases where applicants have a permanent physical disability or submitted thorough supporting documentation from qualified professionals and demonstrated a history of testing accommodations since childhood.  Without the necessary accommodations, test takers with disabilities are denied an equal opportunity to demonstrate their aptitude and achievement level.  The lawsuit further alleged that LSAC engages in discrimination prohibited by the ADA through its practice of flagging the LSAT score reports of individuals who received extended time as a testing accommodation, thereby identifying to law schools that the test taker is a person with a disability.
 
“This landmark agreement compels systemic reforms to LSAC’s treatment of test takers with disabilities and brings an end to LSAC’s stigmatizing practice of flagging the score reports of individuals with disabilities who require certain testing accommodations,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division.  “If entered by the court, this decree will impact tens of thousands of Americans with disabilities, opening doors to higher education that have been unjustly closed to them for far too long.  We congratulate LSAC for signing this agreement, which will compensate victims of past discrimination and provide a model for the provision of testing accommodations to test takers with disabilities on standardized examinations.”
 
“The participation of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this important litigation sends a strong message that no discrimination of any kind will be tolerated in this district,” said U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag for the Northern District of California.  “We are fully committed to ensuring equal access to all opportunities society has to offer, including education.”
 
Under the consent decree, LSAC has agreed to:

• put a permanent end to the practice of flagging the LSAT score reports of individuals with disabilities who take the LSAT with the common testing accommodation of extended time;

• pay $7.73 million to be allocated for a civil penalty, compensation to individuals named in the United States’ and other plaintiffs’ complaints, and a nationwide victims’ compensation fund;

• streamline its evaluation of requests for testing accommodations by automatically granting most testing accommodations that a candidate can show s/he has previously received for a standardized exam related to post-secondary admissions (such as the SAT, ACT or GED, among others); and

• implement additional best practices for reviewing and evaluating testing accommodation requests as recommended by a panel of experts (to be created by the parties). 
  

 
Individuals who applied for testing accommodations from LSAC between Jan. 1, 2009, and May 20, 2014, may be eligible to receive a monetary award from a nationwide victims’ compensation fund.  The claims administrator for the fund has not yet been determined; this information will be posted on LSAC’s website following entry of the consent decree by the court.  Questions about the victims’ compensation fund should be directed to the claims administrator.
 
For more information or for a copy of the consent decree, please visit www.dfeh.ca.gov/lsac or the ADA website. In addition, details about potential eligibility for payment from the LSAC Nationwide Compensation Fund established by this consent decree can be found at www.lsacconsentdecree.com. Those interested in finding out more about the ADA may also call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD).

Source: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2014/May/14-crt-536.html